Earlier this week, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces had inaugurated EDGE which has re-positioned the country as a global player and has huge investment defence sector, and focused on national security.

More than 25 entities, including subsidiaries from the Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC), Emirates Advanced Investments Group (EAIG), Tawazun Holding and other independent organisations have been consolidated under EDGE.

The India-UAE bilateral relationship which has been steadily growing and deepening over the past years, defence and security has also emerged as a strong area of cooperation between both countries. The Gulf country has the most advanced defence industry among the others in the region and has been keen on working with Indian companies to jointly produce platforms in India under the Make in India Initiative.

Earlier this week, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces had inaugurated EDGE which has re-positioned the country as a global player and has huge investment defence sector, and focused on national security.

Faisal Al Bannai, CEO & Managing Director, EDGE, told Financial Express Online “With the creation of EDGE, bringing innovative technologies and services to market with greater speed and efficiency, the Indian defence industry will now be able to forge a partnership with EDGE to explore many opportunities in the development of advanced defence products for the benefit of both countries.”

More than 25 entities, including subsidiaries from the Emirates Defence Industries Company (EDIC), Emirates Advanced Investments Group (EAIG), Tawazun Holding and other independent organisations have been consolidated under EDGE.

Seeking to work closely with top designers to design and deploy solutions that can address the real-world challenges, the UAE Company has announced that it will invest extensively across R&D. According to the company, its core mandate is to bring a change in the military industry which is usually disrupted by red tape.

With a focus on Artificial Intelligence across all of its products, the company is expected to implement advanced technologies such as autonomous capabilities, cyber-physical systems, advanced propulsion systems, robotics and smart materials. And also the convergence of innovations from the commercial and the military industry. Innovation is the area where EDGE will attract industry experts and talent from around the globe, who will help to build platforms in some core areas like Electronic Warfare & Intelligence, Missiles & Weapons, and Cyber Defence.

As has been reported earlier, both India and the UAE have an agreement in place with the Ordnance Factory Board for the supply of artillery shells to the Emirati military in a deal worth $ 50 million.

Wait by the UAE based Caracal continues for a decision to be taken on the close-quarter-battle carbines (CQB), worth $ 130 million. The company which has been declared L1 almost a year ago has fulfilled all the requirements laid down by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and have also submitted all the documents required.

The issue of delay on the final decision by the Indian side has been raised at various levels including at recent meeting Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the UAE and external affairs minister Dr S Jaishankar.

The UAE side has also expressed interest in some Indian missile systems including the indigenous Akash surface-to-air missile and the Indo-Russian jointly produced BrahMos Missile. The officials from the Gulf country are interested in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed Astra 70-kilometre range air-to-air missile.